Board reconsiders, rejects land sale

The Goochland County Board of Supervisors has opted not to sell a piece of county property to a developer that wanted to put a chain drugstore in the heart of the rural county.

On Tuesday, the board unanimously voted to reject all bids submitted for the purchase of the county-owned Fairground building property off Fairground Road at the Courthouse Commons shopping center.

Two bids received since the property was advertised in October were rejected, and the property was taken off the market indefinitely.

"It was probably the best day of my life," said Wayne Dawson, owner of Dawson's Pharmacy in the shopping center.

Dawson, who opened his business in 2005, said he was caught off guard when approached by his landlord in January and informed that a Walgreens store could be located on the site if the county agreed to sell the property.

After a public outpouring of support for Dawson and neighboring Goochland Pharmacy, board members reconsidered the decision to sell the property, opting to evaluate the 2-acre property to determine what use would most benefit residents and small-business owners.

"The overwhelming sentiment conveyed to all of us by e-mails and telephone calls indicated that the community at large was not in favor of the sale of that property at this time," said Supervisor James W. Eads.

"This time, the little guy won," Dawson said.

The Fairground property has been used for community events and meetings over the years.

In other news, high-speed Internet service may soon be available for many Goochland residents.

The supervisors learned Tuesday that Culpeper-based Virginia Broadband LLC had agreed to co-locate on a recently erected 500-foot radio tower in the western end of the county.

Allen Taliaferro of Virginia Broadband confirmed that service should be available no later than June 1 for about 1,300 homes and businesses near the tower. The company will look to expand its service in the county after that. Basic service starts at $50, Taliaferro said.

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .